some newbie questions

[Shalshelet]

I'm new here and had a couple of questions for the locals.

dd is 1.5 yo. We have been using diapers since birth, but started potty training/EC at 6 mo. We've made real progress - she's basically trained for #2. However, I'm not sure what to do for #1. See, she will at times go in her potty when I put her on it, or if she's in the same room as the potty and doesn't have a diaper on - but at other times she refuses. Plus, the times when she does sit on the potty and makes, if I have her run around bare bottomed, I later find that I've stepped in a pee puddle. Putting her in undies, or running around without anything makes me concerned - especially about protecting the sofa and beds we have. Plus how will I ever figure out where a puddle is, unless of course I get wet from it?

Any advice is truly appreciated.

[lisavark]

At that age with my DD I used mostly timing--she peed every 1.5 hours in the morning and every 2 hours in the afternoon. She was pretty much always willing to go potty when I suggested it was time, and around 12 months she started actually peeing every time I took her potty.

Then, of course, around age two she decided she wanted nothing to do with being reminded, but that's a whole other can of worms.

Does your daughter mind being reminded, or is she willing to go if you suggest it? Can she pull underwear down herself? Do you have a potty she can get on without help? Do you have special "potty" toys that might make pottying more fun? If she refuses, does that mean she really doesn't need to go, or does she refuse and then pee on the floor a minute later?

One thing that has helped us a lot is different potty locations, especially outside. On days when she didn't want to pee in the potty, she was always willing to pee in the backyard.

[lisavark]

Oh--forgot to ask: are you using cloth diapers? You could also try cloth trainers if she can pull them down herself. IME, sometimes cloth diapers don't have any negative effect on awareness, and of course they protect the furniture. But knit pants will absorb most of a pee, too. And fleece pants are mostly waterproof. But it may be too hot for those now--it certainly is where we are! The other option would be to miss-proof one room (move or cover furniture, etc.) and only go diaper-free in that room or outside.

[Shalshelet]

Hi lisavark,

Thanks for your comments and suggestions and questions. i'll do my best to answer them all:

At that age with my DD I used mostly timing--she peed every 1.5 hours in the morning and every 2 hours in the afternoon. She was pretty much always willing to go potty when I suggested it was time, and around 12 months she started actually peeing every time I took her potty.

1.5 hrs. is a great benchmark for me - made me less neurotic that she was going to pee every half hour or so. Sometimes, in the past few days, I've noticed that she might pee only an hour after though.

Does your daughter mind being reminded, or is she willing to go if you suggest it?

i think she's starting to mind it. she'll go infrequently when I remind her or initiate a potty trip.

Can she pull underwear down herself?

she's managed to pull only the front part of the pull-ups up, but this afternoon she tried pulling up her pants without a diaper on, and she did pretty well.

Do you have a potty she can get on without help?

Yes, the baby bjorn white potty seat.

Do you have special "potty" toys that might make pottying more fun?

I usually let her look at books or magazines (maybe we should get some new ones?). Sometimes I let her play with some of her bath toys.

If she refuses, does that mean she really doesn't need to go, or does she refuse and then pee on the floor a minute later?

both. she has refused, and not needed to go for a little while later, and then there are the times where she has refused, and either I've convinced her to sit on the potty and she does go, or I don't get so lucky and she pees in the diaper/pull-up.

are you using cloth diapers?

No, I didn't go that route with the diapers/pull-ups. I've been using 7th gen diapers though, but I think the training pants are too much like diapers and therefore doesn't "get" the concept of what happens if she doesn't go in the potty.